Former Fatz CEO, family open new restaurant near Lake Bowen

The former chief executive of the popular casual-dining chain Fatz Café has stepped out of retirement to launch a new eatery at Lake Bowen.

By TREVOR ANDERSONtrevor.anderson@shj.com

The former chief executive of the popular casual-dining chain Fatz Café has stepped out of retirement to launch a new eatery at Lake Bowen.Steve Bruce, who served as president and CEO of Taylors-based Café Enterprises Inc. for 18 years, has opened Bowen's Landing. It is a family-dining establishment with an upscale twist in a renovated restaurant building at 8681 Highway 9 near the Lake Bowen Fish Camp.The 3,500-square-foot restaurant serves fresh seafood, Certified Angus steaks and other American fare. Diners can sit inside the eatery's contemporary dining room or enjoy their meal beside a crackling fire and soothing water feature on its 700-square-foot patio.Bruce has been joined in the venture by his wife, Delores Bruce, son, Stephen Bruce, and daughter, Lindsay Bruce-Shinn. The family said their concept is based on delicious, innovative and affordable food, Southern hospitality and quality.“We're very excited to have a place up here,” Steve Bruce said. “We wanted to give diners another option. We wanted something with a contemporary feel and high-quality food … The goal is to do something that isn't being done in this area.”Bruce began his restaurant career as a management trainee in Gastonia, N.C., for the Quincy's Family Steakhouse chain in 1984. He later moved to Beaufort and eventually ended up in Spartanburg.In 1988, he and businessman Bill Burton began growing Fatz Café out of a converted peach shed near the Waccamaw Shopping Center. Bruce was named president and CEO of Fatz in 1993.The company was recapitalized with a $40 million investment by private-equity firm Milestone Partners in 2008. Bruce stayed on until 2011 to help the company transition under its new ownership. Under his leadership, the Fatz chain grew from four locations to 49.“Restaurants are in my blood,” he said. “Nothing has the energy and the action that the restaurant industry has. No two days are the same. It's a lot of fun — a very social situation. It's not just about feeding people; it's about developing relationships.”Bruce said each family member has a specific role in the business, which currently has 30 employees. Delores, who cooks all of the restaurant's desserts, and Lindsay are in charge of the front-of-house operations. Stephen manages the kitchen brigade and Steve manages the business and meets and greets customers.

“I always wanted a family restaurant,” Bruce said. “I wanted to do something on my own. We make sure we visit with every customer … It's very different than operating a chain because you don't have a team of people around you who are specialized. The biggest difference is that I'm back doing what got me into the restaurant business. And I've got the support of my family.”Bowen's Landing's menu includes a variety of entrees that range from under $6 to $25. All of the dishes are made with fresh ingredients and are cooked to order.Seafood items are brought in fresh and cooked to order. The menu features pan-seared crispy salmon, seared scallops with a caramelized orange sauce and Maryland-style crab cakes made completely with real crab for $17 and black grouper with scallops for $19.50.The restaurant's steaks are hand cut every day. They include a 7-ounce filet and 12-ounced New York Strip both priced at $25, a 12-ounce Ribeye for $24, and a 6-ounce and 10-ounce center-cut sirloin for $12 and $18, respectively.Bowen's Landing also has a range of other dishes that include appetizers, salads, pastas, ribs, grilled chicken, a pork chop, burgers and sandwiches, as well as daily specials.The eatery has a large bar that is stocked with a plethora of wines, liquors and craft beers. The bar is managed by local “mixologist” Connie Bibeau, who has brought in a sampling of her own homemade infusions.“Our goals is to do this and do it well — to create a business that we could do together and maybe one day pass it along to our children,” Bruce said.The family has set up a Bowen's Landing page on Facebook where customers can go to look at daily specials and get other information.The eatery is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The Bruce's said they have space for special events and can do catering. They can accommodate take-out customers, reservations and walk-ins.For more information, visit: www.bowenslanding.com, or call 592-1300.

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